28 KESOUECES OF CALIFOKNIA. 



the flesh — as if rushing from a hot oven. In one team of ten 

 horses, three fell in the road, from heat ; two died, but the 

 other recovered by pouring sweet oil in its throat. The ani- 

 mal's throat was closed so that it could not drink, when the 

 oil was used so as to soften the throat and open it, that it 

 could swallow water, when it recovered. The two that died 

 expired before such aid could be used with them. At Burton's 

 public house, at Loving's Ferry, birds flew into the bar-room 

 to the pitcher to get water, so tame w^ere they made by the 

 thirst caused by extreme heat. Birds were seen to fall dead 

 ofi" the limbs of trees in the middle of the day, from the heat, 

 as if they were shot. The w^ind was of that burning heat never 

 before witnessed by the settlers there since their arrival in the 

 state." 



In the Sierra Nevada, the heat of the summer at mid-day 

 is about the same as in the Sacramento valley ; but the winter 

 is cold, and the amount of rain greater in proportion to the 

 altitude above the sea. In places three thousand feet above 

 the ocean-level, ice forms five and six inches thick, and snow 

 deep enough for sleighing lies several weeks nearly every win- 

 ter. In towns six thousand feet above the sea, the snow falls 

 from five to ten feet deep, and covers the ground four or fivfr 

 months in the year. 



In the Great Basin, the winters are cold and the summer 

 days very hot ; but there too the nights are always cool. 



The Colorado Desert has exceedingly hot summer days and 

 -warm winters, but occasional frosts in the spring and fall as 

 w^ell as in the winter. 



§ 26. ComjKirative Tables.— The follow^ing table shows the 

 mean temperature of every month, and the average of the 

 w^hole year, at San Francisco, Benicia, Sacramento, Fort Mil- 

 ler, Fort Reading, Fort Yuma, and also at various places in 

 other parts of the world, some of them (such as Funchal, Na- 

 ples, Honolulu, and Mexico) being famed for the beauty and 

 equability of their climates. In addition to the temperature, 

 the latitude of each place is given ; 



